Cotton-chopper.



No. "775,533. PATENTED NOV. 22, "1904. T. J. HOLLINGSWORTH.

- COTTON CHOPPER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1904.

2 sums-sum 1.

N0 MODEL.

- No. 775,533. PATENTED NOV. 22, 1904.

' T. J. HOLLINGSWORTH.

OOTTON CHOPPER.

APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 16, 1904. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET z.

mamlzir mzh UNITED V STATES Patented November 22, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS J. HOLLINGSVVORTH, OF MAGAZINE, ARKANSAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 775,533, dated November22, 1904.

Application filed June 16, 1904:.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. HOLLINGS- WORTH, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Magazine, in the county of Logan and State ofArkansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCotton-Choppers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improved cotton-chopper adapted for use in choppingout superfluous plants in the cotton-drills and reducing them to stands,and it consists in the construction. combination, and arrangement ofdevices hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, light, strong,anddurable machine of this character having a revoluble chopper whichmay be readily adjusted both vertically and laterally by the operator tocause the chopper to work as deeply as may be required and to beadjusted to compensate for deviations in the cotton-drills.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of thecotton-chopper embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is a rear ele-v vation of the same. Figs. 4 and 5. aredetail views.

The side runners 1 have forwardly and upwardly-extending arms 2,provided at their front sides with bearings 3 for a revoluble axle-shaft4:, to the ends of which are secured ground-wheels 5, with which itrevolves. A miter-gear 6 is secured to the axle-shaft near its center.To the inner sides of the front ends of the said arms 2 are securedbrackets 7 which serve to stiffen the runners, have eyes or bearings forthe axle-shaft, and have sockets in their upper ends for the receptionof a pair of upwardly-converging inclined bars 8, the upper ends ofwhich are secured together by a head-piece 9. A shaft 10 of suitablelength has its bearing in the headpiece and is free to revolve therein.The

brackets 7 are connected'together by a hitching-bar 11.Atransversely-disposed brace 12 connects the inclined bars 8 togetherand has a bearing 13 for a shaft 14, which is provided Serial No.212,877- (No model.)

at its front end with a miter-gear 15, which engages the miter-gear 6 onthe axle-shaft. A standard 16 has a bearing 17 at its upper end for therear portion of the shaft 10 and has a bearing 18 at its lower end forthe rear end of the shaft 14. Said standard is supported by brace-rods19, which extend rearwardly from the brace 12. The shafts 10 let arerespectively provided with sprocketwheels 20 21, which are connectedtogether by an endless sprocket-chain 22. To the rear end of the shaft10 is connected the front end of a shaft 23 by means of a link 24, thusenabling the shaft 23 to be moved angularly with respect to the shaft 10and to be also disposed in line therewith.

To the runners near their rear ends are secured standards 25, havingyoke-heads 26 at their upper ends, the sides of which yokeheads areprovided with vertical slots 27. A transversely -disposed slide-bar 28is placed in the said slots and is movable vertically therein and alsolongitudinally with respect to itself and transversely or laterally withrespect to the machine. Sleeves 29 are secured on the said slide-bar bymeans of setscrews 30 and operate between the sides of the yoke-heads,the latter and the said sleeves limiting the lateral movement of theslidebar. Supporting-springs 31, here shown as coiled extensile springs,have their lower ends attached to the yoke-heads at the forks of thesides thereof and their upper ends attached to the said sleeves. Abearing 32 for the rear end of the shaft 23 is carried by the slide-bar.Handle-bars 33 are attached to the said sleeves, and hence also to theslide-bar, to enable the latter to be moved vertically and laterally andthe shaft 23 to be caused to describe corresponding angular movements.

On the shaft 23 is a chopper 31, which is revolved thereby. Said choppercomprises a hub member 35, arms 36, which are preferably curved, as hereshown, and blades 37. The latter are pivoted to the arms, as at 38, andhave adj usting-webs 39, which bear against the arms 36 and are providedwith adjustingopenings 40. Suitable studs or screws 41 in appropriateopenings secure the choppingblades to the arms 36 at any desired angle.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the inventionwill be readily understood without requiring a more extendedexplanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A cotton-chopper comprising a frame having supporting devices, anaxle-shaft carried by the frame and having ground-wheels, a power-shaftgeared to the axle-shaft and revolved thereby, a counter-shaft in fixedbearings, connections between the counter-shaft and the power-shaft,whereby the countershaft is rotated, a chopper-shaft forming aprolongation of and having one end flexibly connected to one end of thecounter-shaft, said chopper-shaft being revoluble by the countershaftand movable angularly with respect thereto, a chopper carried andoperated by the chopper-shaft, and means to support and adjust the-angularly movable chopper shaft, substantially as described.

2. In a cotton-chopper the combination of runners, an axle-shaftjournaled in bearings with which the runners are provided, groundwheelson the axle-shaft to rotate the latter, upwardly-converging bars securedto the runners and having a head. a brace connecting said bars andhavlng a bearing, a power-shaft disposed longitudinally between therunners,

tate the latter, standards secured to the runners, a slide-bar movablevertically in said standards and transversely with respectgto therunners, handle-bars connected to the slide bar, a chopper-shaftflexibly connected to and revolved by the counter-shaft and having abearingsupported by the slide-bar, and a revoluble chopper carried bythe chopper-shaft, substantially as described.

3. A cotton-chopper having a driven shaft in relatively fixed bearings,a chopper-shaft having one end flexibly connected to the driven shaftand rotated thereby, a bearing for the opposite end of thechopper-shaft, and means to shift said bearing both vertically andlaterally, substantially as described. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witmesses.

THOMAS J. HOLLINGSWORTH:

Witnessesi N. L. JOHNSTON, R. B. ROBINSON.

